Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Lost and broken,
Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her
dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve
this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of
destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing
his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena
there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If
she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his
own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny,
and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is
preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only
to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties
to her own people against those she has grown to love?

I can't even begin to tell you how much I squeed when I got a copy of this book in the mail, and to see how long it was! This was probably my favorite book this year, bar none, and I hate that it will be another year before book 4 comes out.

Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight were both brilliant. They set the stage for this amazing series and introduced our main characters. Even the prequel stories in the bound copy, The Assassin's Blade, were great because we got to see what led Celaena to Endovier.

But, in my opinion, I think Heir of Fire is the best book in this series so far. Not only did we get to follow our main favorites (Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian) but we were also introduced to some pretty awesome new characters as well: Manon Blackbeak, Rowan Whitehorn, and Aedion Ashryver. Each added a bit more to the story and made me love the world Sarah has created even more.

Oh! And the wyverns. Just wait...

Celaena grows so much in this book, and for those who've read Crown of Midnight you'll know what I'm referring to, as well as Dorian and Chaol. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that things have definitely taken an interesting turn for each of them.

Waiting for book 4 won't be easy, especially after getting to read Heir of Fire so soon, but I know that it will be worth the wait. And Sarah will be coming to my neck of the woods in October for the Texas Teen Book Festival in Austin. I'm so excited.

There is also a New Adult series that will come out next May by Sarah that I can't wait to get my hands on: A Court of Thorns and Roses. I will just leave you with this, it's a retelling of the fairytales "Beauty and the Beast", "Tam Lin", and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon".

Monday, August 25, 2014

No more waiting. War is upon them. The dimensions between the worlds are open and Earth is in chaos. The dead fight the living, and the humans fight the immortals. The streets are stained with spilled blood, and now Gabriella must lead an army of angels to the battle that will end it all.

She’s experienced the dark and the light. She’s known truth, family, and love. And now she must make a choice that could tear it apart forever. There’s not much time. The clock is ticking. . . .

It all started a year ago in a lab. Is the battlefield where it ends? Find out in the explosive conclusion to Laura Kreitzer’s Timeless Series.

Here's the cover

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I really do love the colors, and as always, my graphic design artist goes above and beyond.

Sneak Peek

Wind dashed through the void formed by the dimensional rip, devastating the land. Space and time was a vacuum, ravaging Earth, one mountain, one city, one blade of grass at a time. Matter shattered. People were swept into the fray as a tornado of worlds collided. Ghosting in and out, collapsing in on each other.

Refugees fled the Mediterranean, looking to the angels to end the madness as it spread like a disease across the land. But there was no relief. Nowhere to run. Eventually, the dimensions would be one.
Creatures surged forth from places unknown, places unseen. Dragons, horned beasts, and fire spirits. Sea monsters and winged giants. Angels flew overhead, fighting back the onslaught.

Standing at the brink was a woman. Long, caramel hair cascaded in the chaos, eyes bright, wielding a dagger. Her stance remained firm, regardless of the intensity of the maelstrom and the lightning pouring from her blade. Beside her was a man, golden eyes glowing, shoulders tense. The day was warm and dry, the sky a kaleidoscope of swirling colors as space and suns and gases exploded.

Their hands clasped around the dagger, eyes meeting, then she slid the dagger across their palms. Silver blood coated their skin; neither fear nor pain manifested on their faces, only searing desperation. The man produced an ancient key, gnarled, molded into a pearly dragon. Placing it between their bloody palms, they clasped hands and faced the dimensional tear.

College freshman
Lucia Ramirez has a secret crush on Dane Monroe. He’s a tall drink of water —
blond, brash, and one hell of a volleyball player.Hijole. Lucia hopes her
volleyball scholarship to his school will make him notice her.

Too
bad what’s noticeable is Dane’s obvious hatred for Lucia. Her family’s politics
contradict everything he stands for. And politics are front and center in both
their families. Dane’s mother is about to face Lucia’s father in the race for
US President.

When
Secret Service throws them together, Dane can’t deny his frustrating attraction
to Lucia’s athletic curves and sweet faith in the world. Amid the intense
pressure of college athletics and presidential politics, can opposites not just
attract, but overcome overwhelming odds to be together? Or do their differences
block their match from the start?

If you would like to participate in the Release Event
and/or Request to Review BLOCKED, you can find out more information HERE.

GIVEAWAY

Jennifer Lane is giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card
and an Advanced Reader Copy of BLOCKED on her Facebook page! You can enter HERE.

About the Author

Get psyched for
romance with psychologist/author (psycho author) Jennifer Lane! By day she
witnesses growth in her psychotherapy clients, and by night she wrangles
misbehaving fictional characters as she writes sports romance and romantic
suspense with a psychological twist. She can’t decide which is more fun.

A
swimmer and volleyball player in college, Jen wove some of her own experiences
intoStreamline—a
military mystery about swimmers. And readers can dip their toes into Jen’s
world of swimming romance by sampling her free New Adult novellaSwim Recruit. (optional link
to include:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/swim-recruit-jennifer-lane/1113038601?ean=2940044896642)

College
volleyball romanceBlockedis Jen’s newest release, launching
10-21-14. Peek inside big-time college sports and even bigger national politics
when the offspring of two presidential candidates find out whether opposites
really do attract, or their match is blocked from the start.

Stories
of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love. She
is also the author of TheConduct
Series, a romantic suspense trilogy that includesWith Good Behavior, Bad Behavior,
andOn Best Behavior.
Ultimately, whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laughandcry.

In
her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, hanging out with her
plus-size, “I’m not fat, I’m big-boned” Izzie cat, and visiting her sisters and
their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

(Coming December 2014)

Love, vengeance, and greed spark a deadly quest for magic in the third book of the Falling Kingdoms series

Prince Magnus has just witnessed torture, death, and miracles during
the bloody confrontation that decimated the rebel forces. Now he must
choose between family and justice as his father, the cruel King Gaius,
sets out to conquer all of Mytica. All Gaius needs now are the
Kindred—the four elemental crystals that give godlike powers to their
owner. But the King of Blood is not the only one hunting for this
ancient, storied magic. . . .

THE KRAESHIANS join the hunt. Ashur
and Amara, the royal siblings from the wealthy kingdom across the
Silver Sea, charm and manipulate their way to the Kindred, proving to be
more ruthless than perhaps even the King of Blood himself.

THE
REBELS forge ahead. Princess Cleo and vengeful Jonas lead them, slaying
with sweetness, skill, and a secret that can control Lucia’s
overpowering magic—all so they can use the Kindred to win back their
fallen kingdoms.

THE WATCHERS follow Melenia out of the
Sanctuary. They ally in the flesh with King Gaius, who vows to use
Lucia’s powers to unveil the Kindred.The only certainty in
these dark times is that whoever finds the magic first will control the
fate of Mytica. . . . but the four element gods of the Kindred have
other plans.

Not only are each of the covers for this series gorgeous, but I am also hooked on the amazing world Morgan Rhodes has created. Betrayal, magic, war, intrigue... she gives a little bit of everything in such an amazing world. I definitely can't wait for more!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

(Coming October 2014)

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen
years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens
enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’
only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and
who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic
and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during
Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by
the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately
in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do
anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts
discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s
magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling
towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s
always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and
Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous
politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not,
never has been, her own.

I've been super excited for this book ever since I found the description on Goodreads. It sounds exciting and fresh. And it's a debut which I love!

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.

Lee
is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's
rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the
insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming
corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the
inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for
their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and
decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

Desperate for any
advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing
that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with
her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this
tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that
will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together,
caught between two sides of a senseless war.

The stunning second
novel in the Starbound trilogy is an unforgettable story of love and
forgiveness in a world torn apart by war.

For any regular follower or reader of this blog, you'll know how much I absolutely adored the first book of Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner's series, These Broken Stars. From the moment I started reading it I thought it was phenomenal and I've been anxiously awaiting the sequel when I finished book one.

I can't wait to delve into the story of two new characters, see old favorites, and get completely lost in these ladies writing and world again. They are a phenomenal duo!

Sixteen year old Sophie
Dumbrowski, is an adorably inept teen living above her family-owned
Polish bakery with her man-hungry mother and her spirit-conjuring
grandmother, who together, are determined to find Sophie the perfect
boyfriend.

But when Sophie meets two hot guys on the same day,
she wonders if this a blessing or a curse. And is Sophie's inability to
choose part of the reason the bakery business is failing miserably? The
three generations of women need to use their heads, along with their
hearts, to figure things out...before it's too late.

I'm so glad that I got the chance to read this, it was so much fun and an absolutely adorable read. I felt like I was back in high school, reading characters that I loved and wished I could be.

Kym really pulled me into Sophie's world and I loved that. We got her perspective of life as a sixteen year old just hoping to get a boyfriend for the summer and to have the best time. I felt like I was going back in time, experiencing those things and remembering how important they felt. It made me feel giggly just reading it again and it was great.

We also got to see Sophie's life growing up in a Polish household. Her mother and grandmother brought a great dynamic to the story and I loved their parts throughout. They offered great comic relief and were just right for Sophie's home.

This was a fun summer read with sweet romance, cute boys, and family. A little bit of everything all wrapped up in teen package. What more could you ask for?